War Photographer Flashcards
When was the poem written?
1985
What happens in the poem?
A war photographer returns from a warzone, and starts developing photos in his darkroom. A photo of a man begins to do develop, and the photographer can remember the cries of the mans wife when he took the photo. He insinuates that the readers of the Sunday supplement only care briefly about the deaths
What is the form of the poem?
Regular, six line stanzas containing 2 pairs of rhyming couplets
What does the very regular structure reflect?
The neatness of the photographer, in an otherwise chaotic world of war
What do the first 3 stanzas describe?
Document the photographer’s actions and thought process
What does the last stanza describe?
Deals with how the work will be received by the world, the people who read the Sunday Supplement
What is the quote starting with, “Spools…”?
“Spools of suffering laid out in ordered rows”
What is the quote starting with, “He, a priest…”?
“He, a priest preparing to intone a Mass”
Who wrote it?
Carol Ann Duffy
What 3 poems should you compare this to?
Kamikaze
Remains
Bayonet Charge
What is the quote starting with, “He has a…”?
“He has a job to do. Solutions slop in trays”
What is the quote starting with, “Running…”?
“Running children in a nightmare heat”
What is the quote starting with, “A stranger’s…”?
“A stranger’s features… a half formed ghost”
What is the quote starting with, “He remembers…”?
“He remembers the cries of this man’s wife”
What is the quote starting with, “Blood…”?
“Blood stained into foreign dust”
